The Midday Brief: Dec. 21, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "This is the latest in a handful of ads Perry has in the rotation right now, as he works to make a comeback in Iowa. It's also the first time Anita Perry has been the central voice in one of Perry's ads — a sign, like her increased appearances on the campaign trail, that the campaign views her as an asset in her own right." — Anita Perry talks courtship in ad, Politico

• "Calling itself Ron Paul Volunteers PAC, this new Miami-based super PAC has filed paperwork with the FEC to begin raising and spending unlimited sums of money to boost the Republican presidential ambitions of Rep. Ron Paul." — Ron Paul gets a new super PAC, Politico

• "Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, has considered tapping his political consultant Gordon R. Johnson to be his next chief of staff or play some other leading role in his office, though no final decision's been made, according to two people with knowledge of the situation." — Straus mulled bringing consultant Johnson into key role, while quest for Lege's budget staff boss narrows to 2, Trail Blazers

• "The number of Texas House Democrats protesting the Department of Insurance's request to reduce certain consumer rebates under the federal health care overhaul is now up to 31." — 31 House Dems urge Kitzman to withdraw 'medical loss ratio' request, Trail Blazers

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "A new ad from Make Us Great Again, the Super PAC supporting Rick Perry's White House run, is pummeling his chief rivals, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney." — Perry Super PAC Smacks Newt and Mitt
  

• "The Lone Star State is getting bigger. Texas had the largest population growth of any state between April 2010 and July 2011, according to figures released today by the U.S. Census Bureau." — On the Records: Texas Has Largest Population Growth

• "By the end of the year, there will likely be four school finance lawsuits pending against the state. And most Texas students will probably be represented in court next year when the cases goes to trial. So we’ve come up with a guide to keeping it all straight." — Navigating the School Finance Lawsuits

• "A new study of tree rings indicates droughts are typically a once-a-decade phenomon in Texas and that the state has had several 'mega droughts' lasting 15 to 30 years over the centuries." — Tree Ring Study Warns of Long Droughts